


Bereshit Report, The

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Post Bartlett Administration, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-20
Updated: 2009-12-20
Packaged: 2019-05-30 18:10:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15102185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: "I was the press secretary, and it was my job to answer questions that the media had, and if Josh and Donna - if your parents - were in some sort of relationship, it would've been a scandal.  I would've been forced to answer ugly questions about a beautiful thing."





	Bereshit Report, The

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: The word 'bereshit' means "in the beginning" in Hebrew...Also, if you want to read the background info before you read the story, it's at the end. I didn't want to give too much away at the start.  


* * *

Toby Ziegler is not my uncle. This means that Jacob and Rebecca are not my cousins. 

This information somersaulted into the realization that no one who I called ‘aunt’ or ‘uncle’ was actually related to me. Well, except for my snooty Aunt Katherine, my mom’s sister who lives in Madison. 

My parents didn’t have a pleasant conversation with me at the dinner table one night informing me of this earth-shattering news. That would’ve been too easy. Rather, I found out in the spacewalk on my eighth birthday. It went something like this:

“Why are you going on vacation next weekend?” I asked.

“We’re not going on vacation. We’re going to our family reunion,” Jacob replied.

“Then how come I’m not going with you?”

“Because we’re not related, dummy!”

I stopped jumping, crinkled my forehead, and ran to find one of my parents. I found my dad burning chicken on his new grill. I tugged on his shirt trying to get his attention.

“Dad! Daddy?”

He turned around. “What’s wrong?”

“Jacob just told me that I’m not invited to the family reunion because we’re not related. Go tell him that’s not true!” I said with desperation.

My dad looked at my pitiful expression and was about to say something comforting, no doubt, but thought twice. Instead:

“Donna!”

My mom came waddling over. She was due to have what I then called, “Baby Rex” any day. My dad explained the situation to my mom, and that’s when I found out that the twins were not my cousins, Uncle Toby was just, well, Toby, and so on. 

I spent the next half hour in my room looking at old photo albums, making red X’s over Jacob, Rebecca, and Uncle Toby’s faces. 

Then my mom went into labor. She had my baby brother, Joseph (not Rex) after 14 hours.

***

I suppose an introduction is necessary. My name is Abigail Jean Lyman. I’m named after the former First Lady, Abigail Bartlet. I’m not named after her because she’s a great woman (well, I guess that’s one reason); rather, I’m named after her because she delivered me. Literally. I’ll tell you all about that later.

The reason I’m writing this story is because I have to do a report for school researching my family tree. I really don’t care about my mom’s side of the family (and snooty Aunt Katherine), and my dad’s side of the family has all passed away. So I asked for permission to write the story of my parent’s lives while they worked in The White House. 

I’m only 12 years old, but I already know what I want to be when I grow up, and it’s not what everyone thinks. Just because I’m growing up in a world of politics and my father’s a Senator does not mean that I want to be a politician. I want to be a journalist, like the ones on CNN or like CJ’s (almost ex) husband, Uncle Danny. Oops, just Danny.

I plan to interview my parent’s friends to uncover the truth behind what happened during the Bartlet years. And I’m more than curious about when they decided to have me. 

***

My dad is the former Deputy Chief of Staff under President Josiah Bartlet (who I feel privileged to call Jed). His name is Joshua Lyman, and now he’s a senator for the state of Connecticut. He’s in the process of writing a book on political science. I know he sounds kinda stiff, but he’s fun and likeable even though he’s old. My dad still hangs out with his guy friends all the time, and my mom says he’s an ‘infinite frat boy’, but she’d have him no other way. 

My mom still goes by her maiden name, Donna Moss. She considered changing it or hyphenating it, but then she decided that she liked the name “Moss” just fine. Don’t take this as her not being in love with my dad. She was, and is, but she’s a very independent woman. My mom received her B.A. in English from American University in D.C. after taking classes for five years, and her M.A. in English from Georgetown. Now, she’s a part-time professor at Fairfield University. She’s also a full-time mom, which she never lets my dad forget.

My parents met at work, like many couples do, but mine were a bit different for two reasons: one, they worked at The White House and two, my mom was my dad’s assistant. Apparently, it was quite controversial back in the days of the Bartlet administration. 

***

Interview with Claudia Jean Cregg, former press secretary for The White House

CJ Cregg is my mom’s dearest friend, even though she lives in Santa Rosa, California. She was there the day I was born, and she never forgets my birthday. Now, she’s the spokeswoman for a prominent women’s rights group. CJ’s getting a divorce from Danny Concannon, and from what I understand, she’s considering moving back to the East Coast. She was in town recently visiting my parents, and I sat down with her and my tape recorder getting the real story of my parent’s lives.

“When do you think my parents fell in love?” I jumped straight in.

“Gosh, Abbey, that’s a tough one. Danny would be impressed.” 

I smile.

“I’d say after your father was shot, there was a definite shift in their relationship. A palpable shift, if you will. I’m not certain of this, but I don’t think they acted on their feelings after the shooting. I don’t even think they were aware of those feelings for quite some time,” she said.

When people talk about my dad’s shooting, they duck their heads and avert their eyes. I don’t think I’ll ever understand the seriousness of that incident, and I don’t ever want to. My mom has only mentioned it once, and it brought tears to her eyes. She said that it was “the darkest of times,” so I never bring it up. 

CJ continued, “Your parents were in love for probably a good five years and didn’t even know it. I knew it, and in a way, I prevented it from developing because it was my job.”

“It was your job to prevent my parents from falling in love?” I questioned.

“I was the press secretary, and it was my job to answer questions that the media had, and if Josh and Donna – if your parents – were in some sort of relationship, it would’ve been a scandal. I would’ve been forced to answer ugly questions about a beautiful thing. So I warned them, especially your father, to behave.”

“But didn’t they eventually get together while President Bartlet was still in office?” I asked.

CJ eyed me like I already knew too much. “Yeah, they did.”

“Um, CJ, I’m writing this report for school, and I kind of need to know more than that.”

“Right,” she said tucking her hair behind her ear, “Your parents gave me nightmares after their first kiss.”

I was intrigued, but a little grossed out. “Go on.”

“It’s funny because there are days in The White House that blend together so much that I don’t know one from the other, but on the president’s second inauguration day, I remember everything. We were at the first of eight inaugural balls, and everyone looked and felt spectacular, except for Josh. He was in a corner, sipping his scotch brooding over the fact that Donna wasn’t there. She had been accused of speaking to a researcher about The White House’s relations with the Department of Defense. My husband was the author of that article, and trust me when I say that I wasn’t the only one pissed at him.”

She stopped to take a sip of her Sam Adams.

“Danny used to carry around the articles that he was extremely proud of, which makes me blanche. In this case, he had a copy of the Washington Post article that Donna was quoted in, not because he was proud, but because he wanted Josh to read it. It took Josh about five seconds to piece the information together realizing that Donna didn’t leak the information to the researcher; her boyfriend, Jack Reese, did. Within the next ten minutes, Josh successfully gathered up the men of The White House to go to Donna’s apartment.”

“What happened next, you’ll have to ask your parents or one of the Idiot Boys. I know that they threw snowballs at Donna’s window until she came downstairs and listened to Josh. By the time it was all said and done, your sweet-talking father had your too-easily-impressed mother on his lap in a cab.”

I was giggling. I giggled every time I heard this story, which was at least once a year.

“That night, your parents danced together only once before they were interrupted by Charlie to join the president for an urgent briefing. Still, I think that was the first night that I knew I was screwed, and there was nothing I would be able to do to stop your parents from being in love.”

“Why? Did they say something to you?” I asked.

“No, Abbey, it was the way they looked at each other. Your dad was always either a ball of stress or a cocky idiot, but when he danced with your mom that night, his face was calm and almost angelic. I doubt that he knew anyone was watching, and I seriously doubt if he cared. Your mom was nervous. I think for the first time, she saw that he was in love with her, and while she felt the same, she was the realistic one in the relationship. She knew nothing should happen because of the circumstances.”

“Later on that evening, we all had to go back to work, so we missed six of the eight inaugural balls. It’s too bad, because I looked gorgeous.”

We laughed, and I continued to listen to CJ tell her story.

“It was probably close to 1 am when I was showing Will how to get a paper jam out of the copier. Despite the noise I was making, I heard laughter coming from Josh’s office. Will and I peaked inside and saw Josh rubbing Donna’s feet. Josh was sitting on the ground and Donna was in his desk chair. I didn’t try to make my presence unknown, but they were oblivious. Their conversation went something like this,

‘I rescued you tonight, so how is it that I’m rubbing your feet?’

‘You didn’t rescue me. You just provided me with transportation, albeit uncomfortable transportation, to the ball.’

‘I didn’t hear any complaints when you were sitting on my lap.’

‘You still don’t.’

‘Are you saying that you enjoyed sitting on my lap?’

‘I didn’t not enjoy it.’

‘Would you maybe want to sit on my lap again?’

‘It would probably depend on the situation.’

‘What if the situation was that I stopped massaging your feet and moved to your neck?’

‘That might be one of those situations.’

“Josh got up from the floor, sat in his chair, and Donna sat on his lap. He slowly massaged her neck and she leaned back until her head was resting on his shoulder. Then he placed an innocent kiss on her neck. Then a not-so-innocent kiss on her collarbone. Finally, Donna turned her head to face Josh and kissed him on the lips.”

“My mouth hung open as I stood as clear as daylight in the doorway, Will next to me mimicking my expression. Still, they didn’t notice us. They kissed for a good five minutes, and your father simply said, ‘Amazing.’ I grabbed Will by the arm and we left for the night.”

“It sounds romantic,” I said with a smile on my face.

“Abbey? CJ?” a voice called out from inside.

“We’re on the swing,” I yelled.

My dad came outside carrying a new bottle of beer for CJ and one for himself. “Are you ladies done with your interview,” he asked while smirking. He had no idea what my assignment was.

“We’re ‘women,’ and no,” I said mimicking his smirk. I have his dimples, and I know how to use them.

“Don’t you have a little league baseball game to coach, Josh?” CJ asked.

“Yeah, I’m just waiting on Joseph to surface…’Joseph!’” he yelled.

“How is it that your son is not even five and he’s already playing baseball?”

“It’s tee ball, and he’ll be five in a month. Besides, he’s a natural.”

“Dad, could you please leave us alone?”

Just then my mom came outside eating straight out of the Ben & Jerry’s container. She sat on my dad’s lap, which was ironic considering that CJ and I were just talking about the lap-sitting-where-it-all-began thing.

“Hi kids. What’s up?” she asked.

My dad threw his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “I was just seeing what the little, future Danny Concannon was up to.”

“How’s your report coming, sweetie?” my mom asked, “are you taking up too much of CJ’s time?”

“Of course not, Donna, it’s fine. It’s nice to bond with a young member of the sisterhood.”

I was honored.

“Ok, I’ll leave you ‘sisters’ to it. I’ll catch up with you for dinner,” my dad said.

“Joshua, you cannot be late! Will’s getting here at 7 and I told Toby to get here anytime after 6:30,” my mom called.

I am going to try my best to arrange an interview with Uncle Toby. I still call him that because he really is like family to me. And he insists on calling me AbbeyJean – one word. I used to hate it, but now I don’t mind so much. I’m his weak spot, and I know I can break him.

I don’t know Will that well. He and my dad play poker once a month, and he’s always been nice to me, but he seems uncomfortable around kids. I’ll try cornering him before dinner tonight. 

Anyway, back to my interview with CJ…

“Where were we, CJ?” I asked.

“Ah, I just told you about your parent’s first kiss.”

“When did the rest of The White House find out?”

“I monitored them very closely over the next couple of weeks, and there really weren’t any signs of romance, so I kept my voyeuristic moment to myself – and of course, Will. The amusing thing was that Will was so green that he had no clue what the office dynamics were. I had to baptize him by fire, asking him to keep a close eye on Josh and Donna to make sure they didn’t lock lips again – at work or in any public place. He was torn, I could tell. On one hand, he wanted to help me, but on the other, he wanted to protect Josh and Donna. By his second day as deputy communications director, he was already involved in covert operations in The White House!”

CJ shook her head thinking fondly of the memory.

“And that’s all I’m going to tell you for now, Abbey. Will can pick up the story from there,” she finished.

“But CJ?!” I whined.

“You are so your father’s daughter!”

I half smiled. “Ok, I have to go next door anyway.”

“What’s going on next door?” she asked.

“Jacob’s teaching me guitar. I’m getting good! I can play ‘Ode to Joy’ and ‘Romanza’ very well.”

“I hear Jacob’s pretty talented,” CJ said.

“He’s alright. He wants to join a band, but Uncle Toby told him he has to wait until he’s 18,” I said as I gathered my stuff and headed indoors. “Oh, I almost forgot: thanks, CJ. I’ll let you read the report when I’m done, if you want.”

CJ smiled, “I’d like that. And hey, I expect a concert later on.”

***

It was 6:51 pm, and my dad and Joseph still weren’t home from the tee ball game. My mom was pissed, but she tried acting normal. I don’t think she fooled anyone. Will arrived just after 6:30 and Uncle Toby, Rebecca, and Jacob were here shortly after.   
Literally at 6:59 pm, my dad came running inside out of breath, “Don’t shoot!” he said with his hands up. Joseph mimicked dad’s position. (He’s the spitting image of a young Josh Lyman, complete with unruly, dark hair, deep brown eyes, and amazingly cute dimples.) They were both dressed in baseball pants and a “Fairfield Flyers” jersey. My dad’s uniform was even dirtier that Joseph’s.

“You were this close to losing a limb, Joshua,” my mom said as she walked toward him.

“But we made it, didn’t we,” he retorted lowering his hands to her face and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

“Why the hell are you so dirty?” she asked.

My dad ducked his head, then looked at Will and Uncle Toby. “I kinda got in a little brawl with the umpire…or something.”

The men grinned. CJ said, “You did NOT get in a fight in public!”

“It wasn’t a fight so much as it was a ‘brawl’, as I mentioned.”

“Daddy kicked the fat man in the leg!” Joseph yelled.

My dad bent down to look Joseph in the eyes, “Joseph, remember the part about not telling your mom the details?” 

“Oh, yeah. Daddy was the hero of all the field!” Joseph corrected as he ran screaming trying to get away from Uncle Toby.

My dad grinned and said, “Good to see you guys!” as he shook hands with Will and Uncle Toby. “I’ll get us some beer. Where are the twins, Toby?”

Toby answered, “They’re upstairs with your daughter…banging on things.”

“Toby, they’re playing the guitar and saxophone. It’s called music,” CJ said.

“It’s called noise and it’s driving me crazy,” Toby replied, which was ironic considering he had a screaming Joseph slung over his shoulder.

That conversation continued as my parents went into the kitchen. Even as my mom was trying to be upset with my dad for being dirty, getting in a ‘brawl’, and being almost late, they ended up making out against the counter. The frequency with which they kiss makes me sick. It’s embarrassing, especially with a house full of people!

“MOM!” I yelled as I walked in on them, “that’s disgusting!”

“It’s not disgusting, sweetheart, it’s just inappropriate,” my dad said.

“Well then could you stop?” I said as they were still pretty much engrossed in one another.

“Abbey, look at your father. He looks like PigPen! Get him off of me!” my mom said playfully. I couldn’t help but smile and tug my dad away from my mom as he resisted.

“Uncle Toby, CJ, Will, help me!” I yelled.

Will and CJ entered giggling as my dad released my mom. “Ok, I’m gonna take a very quick shower, then you can all make fun of my curly, wet hair.”

“What’s left of it,” Uncle Toby shouted from the den.

Now was my chance to grab Will for the interview.

“Will, can I ask you some questions for a homework assignment?”

“Sure, what’s the subject? Politics, speech writing, the armed forces?” Will guessed.

“Um, not exactly. Come with me.”

With a beer in his hand, Will followed me to the swing where I’d been with CJ earlier in the day. He looked uncomfortable, as I expected.

“The thing is, I’m doing a report for school about how my mom and dad met and what their lives were like working for the President,” I said, “and I was wondering if I could just ask you a few questions about that?”

“I’ll do my best to answer your questions, but I didn’t know your parents until President Bartlet’s second term.”

“Yeah, and that’s when all the good stuff happened,” I said with the Lyman-patented smirk.

“Good stuff meaning...” Will questioned.

“You know, the kissing,” I said matter-of-factly.

“Ah, yes, that.” He looked embarrassed as he pushed up his glasses with his index finger. “What do you know so far?”

I told him everything CJ conveyed to me. “So if you could pick up there, that would be great.”

“I remember that night. I’d just been named deputy communications director,” he said with a fond smile, “Little did I know that my job would put me in the middle of something between The White House press secretary and the deputy chief of staff…I thought your parents were a couple already, considering Josh drug me to Donna’s apartment to bombard it with snowballs. I figured maybe this was just a little fight. Later that night, Charlie explained everything to me, and even later that night, I became more confused than ever.”

“Is that when you saw my parents kiss?”

“Yes. And I did not want to see that, especially with CJ being in the room. Then she begged me to keep my eyes open for anything suspicious between Josh and Donna. I did the exact opposite, and I tried to ignore your parents and their activities for as long as I could. But I think I was in the wrong place at the right time – twice.”

“You mean you saw them kiss again?” I asked.

“God, if CJ finds out, she’s going to hurt me,” he said twisting his hands together.

“No she won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Do you have some magic trick to keep her from hurting me? Because unless you do, she’s...”

“You’re afraid of a woman?” I asked raising my eyebrows.

“Well, no, but…it’s CJ!”

“Will, please, this is for a grade and I want to report the facts. I’m gonna be a journalist, ya know?”

“Really? That’s a respectable career, Abbey.”

“Don’t try changing the subject. My dad’s a master at that, and he doesn’t get away with it in this household.”

“Right. Where were we? The ‘twice’ thing…before your parent’s relationship was public knowledge, I witnessed them kissing two other times. The first time was about a month after Amy Gardner was named the First Lady’s chief of staff. She was your father’s ex-girlfriend.”

“I know,” I interrupted.

“Your parents told you about Amy?” Will asked.

“When I was younger, I wanted to name one of my baby dolls ‘Amy’ and my mom told me that it wasn’t a good idea. I asked her why, and she said that my dad had a girlfriend named Amy, and if he were still with her, I wouldn’t be here. So I named her ‘Lilly.’ I like Lilly better anyway.”

Will was amused and confused. “Well, Amy and Josh had a past, and when Amy began working in The East Wing, everyone knew it was just a matter of time before she screwed things up. I was entranced by a memo I was reading right outside of Josh’s office, and I heard their conversation. I tried not to pay attention, but my curiosity gets me in so much trouble. I should’ve walked away at any point during their argument, but I was stuck.”

‘I’m leaving now, Josh, I finished everything you asked,’ Donna said.

‘No, you didn’t,’ he pulled a report from under a pile of folders, ‘you haven’t even looked at this report yet.’

‘Are you kidding me with this? I asked you an hour ago if you had anything else for me, and you said, ‘no.’ I took that to mean that when I was finished the things I had on my desk, I was free to leave.’

‘Well, you took it wrong. Here’s the report. I need you to proof it before my 9 am meeting with Senator Baines.’

Donna was fuming. ‘I’ll take it home, and you better hope I have time to read it by morning.’

‘What the hell crawled up your ass?’ Josh asked.

‘I’m leaving Josh. It’s 11:30 pm and this conversation is over.’

‘The hell it is!’ he stood up and circled the desk to stand face to face with Donna. ‘I know what this is about. It’s about Amy. You know she asked me to dinner.’

‘I couldn’t care less about Amy and if it’s even possible, I care less about you…and don’t say that you’re just friends, because no one can be friends with that woman, not even you.’

‘I didn’t say anything about being friends.’

‘Right, you just want an easy lay.’

‘Donna, that’s not at all…’

‘I’m not doing this, Josh. I’m leaving, and I will see you in the morning.’

“Donna moved toward the door. I hugged the wall as if scaling a building from 10 stories up. I tried not to breathe for fear of being caught eavesdropping. Josh closed, rather slammed, the door with Donna still inside. Fortunately or not, I could still hear.”

‘I’m not having sex with Amy.’

‘What part of my not caring didn’t you understand?’

‘The part where you actually do care. Donna, I am not interested in Amy. Yes, I was infatuated with her at one point in my life, but I really can’t stand her any more.’

‘Then why did you agree to dinner?’

‘I didn’t! You overheard half the conversation and missed the part where I told her that our relationship would not leave this big, white building.’

‘You said, ‘this big, white building’?’ 

‘Yeah, something like that.’

Josh put his hands on Donna’s shoulders as her back was against the door.

‘I have zero interest in Amy Gardner and all kinds of interest in Donna Moss,’ he grinned.

‘All kinds?’

‘Yeah. All kinds.’

“He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips, she dropped the report, and they…well…they made out for who knows how long. I took that chance to escape.”

“Wow! I’ve never heard that story!” I said.

“No one has. And if CJ knows I kept it from her…”

“She won’t hurt you, Will. Now tell me about the second time.”

“You mean, when I caught them again?” Will pushed up his glasses.

“You’re slow.”

“I’m really not…Ok the next time I witnessed your parents doing something they shouldn’t was the last year of the administration. I avoided them like the plague when they were together. I think they mistook my avoidance as a general dislike of them. That’s far from true, and I’m glad this is all coming out, in a way. Now I won’t feel…”

“Like a teenager?” I interrupted.

“I was going to go with something more proper, but ok.”

“Please continue the story, we’re going to have to eat dinner soon.”

“Right. It was the last year of the Bartlet administration, and Andi and Toby had a party to celebrate the fact that Andi was not running for Congress again. She was moving to Connecticut to take the position she currently has with Goldberg/Finch/Meyer. This is, of course, before they separated again. Anyway, the party had an Hawaiian theme, and the drinks were especially strong. I mention that because your father cannot drink with the best of them. Everyone was dressed in either a toga, don’t ask me why, or some kind of swim suit contraption. Your mom had a grass skirt on with a bikini top, and she was…well, she was hot.”

“You thought my mom was hot?” I asked.

“I think your mom is a beautiful, happily married woman, but at the time, yes, she was…hot.”

“As I was saying, there were lots of people and lots of booze. I went upstairs to borrow one of Toby’s sweaters because it was 50 degrees outside, and I saw a half-shut door. I paused outside the room and heard the familiar voices of Josh and Donna.”

‘You are absolutely scrumptious tonight,’ Josh said while containing Donna in his arms.

‘I’ll tell you what’s scrumptious, the coconut shrimp!’ Donna said.

‘Was I talking about shrimp?’ he asked, kissing her exposed chest and neck.

‘Josh, this is not good. We’re in Toby’s twins room at a party with over 50 people, at least 10 of whom would have this on the cover of a tabloid tomorrow morning.’

‘Well if we make it in the tabloids, we might as well give ‘em something to write about.’

‘Josh, your hand needs to move from there.’

‘From here?’

‘Uh huh.’

‘Is it ok…here?’

‘No, but…yeah.’

“I’m embarrassed to say this, but they were all over each other. I was once again too entranced (and possibly too drunk) to move. The only thing that made them stop from…you know…was Andi yelling for Donna from the bottom of the stairs.”

‘Donna, it’s your turn!’ Andi yelled.

‘You’re not going,’ Josh said.

‘I have to go, Josh, they’ll begin to wonder what the hell we’re doing upstairs.’

‘We’re checking on the thing!’ He said between kisses.

‘There is no ‘thing’ and I have to go.’

‘Donna!’ he yelled as she put the straps back on her arms and walked to the door. ‘We can finish this…conversation…later.’ She smiled at him, and he laid there on the floor dejected. 

“I took that as my cue to get the hell out of there, and I hid in the closet across the hall.”

“My parents were all over each other? That’s sick!” I said.

“It wasn’t so much ‘sick’ as it was disturbing. I’d had enough of their seemingly private displays. So you can imagine my sheer glory when they finally announced their…togetherness…10 months before we left The White House.”

“Wow. You were great, Will, thank you!” I said as I stood to go inside.

“Abbey, one last thing…your parents became my dear friends, and even when I tried ignoring them, they never left me out. They single-handedly made me feel like a member of the team despite my late start. They’re amazing people, and you’re lucky to have them.”

“I’d be even luckier if they’d learn from their past mistakes,” I said.

“Huh?” Will asked.

“You know, closing doors and stuff?”

“Ah, yes. They should be a bit more careful with that.”

We walked inside together, I put my tape recorder away, and Will joined the land of the men.

***

“Dinner was delicious! When did you learn to cook like this?” CJ asked.

“I got the recipe from Josh’s mom. It never fails, especially when I need to feed this many mouths,” my mom replied.

We made small talk, and the adults included Rebecca, Jacob, and I in the conversation as much as possible. I liked that about my parents: they never left me out, even when the conversation was about difficult subjects. Rebecca was well-versed in public policy, so she enjoyed bickering with my dad, and Jacob was a walking encyclopedia, so he liked talking with my mom (and President Jed).

“Ok, it’s time to clean up,” my dad said as he stretched.

“Rebecca, Jacob, clear the table, please, and see if Donna will let you put the dishes in the dishwasher,” Uncle Toby said.

“That would be a big help, thanks” my mom said.

“Mom, can I please interview Uncle Toby and do the dishes for the next two nights?” I asked.

“You’ll have to ask Uncle Toby.”

I batted my eyes at him.

“AbbeyJean, what’s this about an interview?” Uncle Toby asked, getting up from his seat and bringing a couple of plates into the kitchen.

“I’m doing a school report, and I’d like to ask you some questions.”

“Is that so? I was beginning to think you left me out. CJ told me you’d interviewed her earlier today.”

“I wouldn’t leave you out! I take great pleasure in making you squirm,” I said with a smile.

“Come here, little one!” Uncle Toby chased me outside, and I grabbed my tape recorder along the way.

***

“It’s a lovely night, AbbeyJean.”

“You know CJ’s getting divorced.”

“Why would you say that?” He asked as he paused before lighting a cigar.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I see things is all.”

“Yeah, I know she is. It’s too bad; Danny’s a good guy.”

“I like Danny. I want to be a reporter like him when I grow up. But they aren’t in love like my parents.”

“AbbeyJean, not many married couples are in love like your parents,” he said taking a puff on his cigar and sitting on the swing. “Marriage is tough. It takes a lot of work, and sometimes no matter what you do, you can’t salvage it…I’m sorry to hear about CJ and Danny.”

“Me too…she likes you, ya know.”

He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “CJ and I are old friends. It’s hard to beat that kind of friendship.”

“Rebecca, Jacob, and I will be like you, mom & dad, and CJ one day.”

“I know you will,” he stated quietly. “Now what’s this interview all about?”

“I just want you to tell me a little about when my parents worked for President Jed. Here’s what CJ and Will told me so far,” I filled Uncle Toby in on all the details.

“Will?! I had no idea that he witnessed your parents...in a compromising position. And in my house, no less!”

“Please don’t make a big deal out of it. He already thinks CJ is going to hurt him.”

Uncle Toby smiled, “She will.”

“Maybe you could pick up from the time after your party?”

“I had no idea that Josh and Donna were…together…before their official announcement, and I had no interest in their relationship whatsoever. But I will admit that I always knew they’d end up together. They’re just one of those couples who I could picture holding hands on a Sunday morning sipping coffee, reading The Times, and arguing about something trivial.”

“They do that, ya know,” I said with a smirk.

“Figures,” Uncle Toby said. “We were all at Iota, this great little place in D.C. that we frequented, and we’d had a couple of drinks. Josh began something like this,”

‘Guys, I’ve got something that I think you should know about before the rest of the world.’

‘What’s that, Josh, you’re getting hair implants?’ CJ questioned.

‘Hardly, CJ. Donna likes my hair as it is.’

Everyone at the table looked a bit suspicious.

‘I didn’t say that I liked your hair,’ Donna said.

‘You don’t like my hair?’ Josh asked as he looked at Donna.

‘I like it, but I never said that I did until now.’

‘Can we get on with it, already?’ I asked very calmly.

‘Donna and I are gonna see each other, meaning…like away from the office seeing.’

‘Excuse me?’ CJ asked.

‘Josh and I have the hots for each other, and we’re making it public,’ Donna said.

“The expressions around the table were shocked, amused, and satisfied. Will, now that I think about it, looked particularly happy.”

‘CJ, please don’t tell me we have to keep this under wraps at this point,’ Josh begged.

‘You couldn’t wait another 10 months?’ CJ asked, hands in the air for effect.

‘Not unless you want a whole new story coming out,’ Donna said as Josh grabbed her hand.

‘We’re, um, we’re…’

‘Pregnant,’ Donna finished.

‘Ho-ly shit!’ CJ exclaimed. ‘When? How? Now?’

‘A month ago, in New Orleans, we had sex, and yes,’ Josh said with a smirk.

‘New Orleans? What in God’s name were you doing in New Orleans? That city is nothing but trouble,’ CJ said.

‘We needed to get away from D.C. for a while, and we wanted to go where no one knows us, nor remember us. Considering the amount of alcohol consumed in New Orleans, we figured we’d have at least one of those things covered,’ Donna explained.

‘You’re having a baby?’ Will asked with sheer delight.

“Josh put his hand on your mom’s stomach.” ‘Yeah, we’re having a baby,’ he said while he looked into her eyes.”

‘I don’t know what to say! First, congratulations. Second, I guess we’ll (or I’ll) deal with the media,’ CJ said.

‘Toby? Anything you want to add?’ Josh asked.

“I’m just shocked. I can’t think straight. I’m having a problem forming a sentence, which doesn’t bode well for my career.”

‘We’re going to need parenting tips,’ Donna said as she looked my way.

“Don’t look at me. I’m…I’m” I couldn’t speak.

‘You’re a great father,’ Josh said with sincerity as he placed his hand over mine.

‘Here’s to finding love, happiness, and ways to have sex while avoiding the press secretary!’ Will toasted.

‘Here, here!’ We agreed. 

“Donna was drinking club soda, we found out later. And there you were, AbbeyJean, a part of our world before you even knew it,” Uncle Toby said.

“That’s probably the sweetest story you’ve ever told me,” I said.

“Yeah, I’m not so big on the sweet,” he said with a teeth-showing smile. “Are we through? Maybe you could go inside and help the twins with the dishes?”

“I have one more interview to do, but I have to talk to Abigail.”

“Abigail Bartlet?”

“Uh huh. The woman I’m named after. The woman who delivered me into this world.”

“I’m sure she’d love to chat with her namesake,” Uncle Toby said as he patted me on the head, stubbed out his cigar, and held the door open for me.

“Thanks Uncle Toby,” I said.

***  
The following morning…

“Dad, can I call Abigail?” 

“Why do you want to call Abigail, sweetheart?” my dad asked, pulling me on his lap.

“I have one more section to write for my report, and she’s the only person who can give me the information I need.”

“We can give her a call, but she’s a busy woman, Abbey, she might not even be in the country.”

“Will you dial?” I asked, handing him the phone.

He smiled at me and dialed the number from memory. “Mr. President, it’s your love-child!” he chided.

“Joshua! What the hell are you up to? Making prank calls again?” the former President answered.

“I have a young Democrat here who wants to speak with your wife.”

“How can I refuse?” he replied, “Abigail, your namesake is on the phone!”

“You treating your wife and kids properly, Joshua?”

“I am, sir. Don’t you worry about that.”

“I heard about a skirmish you got into at a ballpark, Josh. What’s that about?”

“Uh, it was actually just a little brawl…the umpire was wearing a ‘Richie for President’ shirt, sir.”

“Good boy, Joshua. Now put Miss Abbey on the phone, will you?”

“Sure thing.”

“Hello, President Jed?” I asked.

“Well, if it’s not my favorite little cabin kid!”

“I’m 12 years old now, ya know.”

“What are you telling me, Abbey? That you don’t want to be called ‘kid’ any more?”

“I wouldn’t tell you to do anything that doesn’t please you, sir.”

“Your mother has taught you well…hang on a sec, Abigail is on her way.”

“Thanks!” I loved talking to the former President.

“Hi namesake!” Abigail answered. She always greeted me as such.

“Abigail! When are you coming to visit? My dad said he misses you.”

My dad looked at me with a knowing expression.

“I’m sure he does. He’s always been so fond of me.”

I giggled. “I’m actually calling because I’m doing a report for school…”

“Say no more,” she interrupted, “CJ and Toby told me all about it.”

“They did?”

“Yes, and they each told me things I had no idea happened. Nevertheless, I’d be happy to help you with your report.”

“Great. I’m going to take the phone upstairs so that my dad doesn’t hear.”

“Hear what?” my dad echoed.

“Dad, the school report, remember? It’s private until it’s done.”

“Ok, Abbey, but don’t keep Abigail on the phone for more than 20 minutes, understand?”

“Yes. See ya, dad!”

I ran upstairs to my dad’s office and used speakerphone so that I could also use my tape recorder.

“Abigail, are you there?”

“I’m all yours.”

“Ok, will you tell me about when I was born?”

“Haven’t you heard this story a million times,” Abigail asked.

“Yes, but you know how much I love it, and I need to record the facts.”

“Training for that career in journalism, already, huh dear?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Ok, let’s see…It was our last weekend under the Bartlet administration, and Leo invited everyone to his family cabin in rural Maryland. It was about an hour away from anything of importance, but it was lovely. Your father didn’t want to go because your mom was due in two weeks. Donna insisted, as she always did, that she was fine. What she didn’t tell him was that she’d experienced some minor discomfort, in waves, the day before.”

“Go on,” I prodded.

“We’d just finished eating Jed’s chili and people were dispersing to their rooms or flopping on the couch. Sam was in town enjoying the company of his old friends as well. He and your father were playing chess for a long time, then your dad went to check on your mom.”

‘Hi, you feeling alright?’ he asked.

‘Yeah, but…ahhh…I’m having a little pain every once in a while.’

‘Pain? Donna, sit down. Should I get Dr. Bartlet?’

‘Um, no, it’s probably just gas from The President’s chili…ahhh.’

‘Stay here, Donna. I’m just gonna get Abbey to be sure.’

“Josh ran out of the room, down the stairs and grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of earshot of Will and CJ who were standing in the kitchen.”

‘Donna’s experiencing pain, Abbey, and I think you should…’

‘JOSSSSSHHHH!’

‘Oh God!’ your father yelled as he flew up the stairs. 

“I was a good ten steps behind him. He swung the door open, and I finally caught up to see Donna standing in the middle of the room.”

‘My water…’

‘broke,’ Josh finished. ‘It’s gonna be ok, Donnatella, I’ve got Dr. Bartlet here. You’re gonna be fine,’ he said taking her arm and leading her to the bed.

“I’ve got this Josh, go get some boiling water and clean towels or sheets…Donna, you just lie back and relax.”

‘My water broke!’ was all Donna could say.

“Josh opened the door and yelled from the staircase, ‘Donna’s having a baby!’ Sam and Leo stood, and Jed took off his glasses as he stared at Josh from below.”

‘We need water and towels, and boiling,’ Josh said, clearly a mess, ‘call an ambulance!’

‘I’m on it,’ Toby said,

Sam ran up the stairs. ‘Calm down, buddy. She’ll be fine.’

‘Sam, she’s having a baby in a house!’

Josh walked back in the room and mostly shut the door. ‘Toby’s calling an ambulance.’

“That’s fine, Josh, but this baby will be here before it arrives,” I said.

‘WHAT? It can’t. I mean, she needs to be in the hospital!’ Josh was not calming Donna.

‘I can’t have this baby in Leo McGarry’s house!’ Donna said.

“You can and you will,” I said with complete authority, “now push only when I tell you to, Donna.”

‘Donna, Abbey’s a doctor and she’s gonna take care of you. I’m gonna take care of you. Always.’ Josh said as he bent down to hold Donna’s hand.

“Donna was crying more from fear and uncertainty than pain.”

‘Josh, hold me.’

‘I’m not going anywhere. We’re having a baby,’ he said with a smirk.

Knock. Knock. ‘It’s CJ, can I come in? I bring boiling water and swaddling cloth.’

Josh kissed Donna’s forehead and ran to the door. CJ burst in and set the water and towels down. She made her way to Donna’s side and kissed her hand.”

‘Are you sure it’s not just the chili?’

Donna tried to laugh.

“Ok Donna, big push. You can do it!” I said. “After a long push, Donna asked, ‘Have you delivered babies before, Dr. Bartlet?’”

“Of course I have. Piece of cake’” I lied.

‘Toby, where’s the ambulance?’ Josh yelled. He walked to the door to see Sam, Toby, Leo, Will, and Jed standing right outside.

‘Leo’s on the phone with the ambulance driver giving him directions every step of the way, Josh,’ Toby answered.

‘They’ll be here in about 30 minutes,’ Leo stated.

‘How’s she holding up, Joshua?’ the President asked.

‘She’s doing ok, I’m going crazy! Tell me this gets easier!’

‘Shouldn’t you be in there with her?’ Sam asked.

‘Right.’ 

“Josh went back in the room and CJ exited to get more boiling water. Jed prepared cold towels with ice for Josh to rub on Donna’s forehead.”

“Ok Donna, just a few more pushes, and you’ll be on your way,” I said.

‘On her way where?’ Josh asked.

“Shut up, Josh, it’s an expression,” I said.

‘Josh, shut the hell up and get up here!’ Donna yelled.

‘I’m here,’ he said, wiping her face with a cool towel. ‘I love you, Donnatella.’

‘Joossshhhh!’ Donna yelled one last time.

“Here she comes! Come on little one.” I said.

“By this point, Josh had tears rolling down his face, and Donna was nearly sobbing.”

“It’s a girl!” I exclaimed. 

“Donna and Josh put their foreheads together and laughed and cried while holding hands.”

‘We have a little girl,’ Josh choked.

I placed the baby on Donna’s stomach after cleaning her off a bit.

‘WE HAVE A BABY GIRL’ Josh yelled so that all of the eavesdroppers could hear. He heard high-fives and hugging abound.

‘The ambulance just pulled up,’ Leo said.

“Donna, you did great,” I said with a smile, “the ambulance will bring you and this little beauty to the hospital in a few minutes.”

‘Thank you, Abbey,’ Donna said, stifling her tears.

‘You were amazing, Donna,’ Josh said, shifting his eyes between the baby girl and Donna. ‘I’ve never been more proud of you in my life.’ He kissed her on the lips.

‘We have a baby girl,’ she whispered.

“The ambulance took you, and your parents to the hospital. Donna didn’t want me to leave her, so I joined you in the ambulance. Following us in a caravan was the Secret Service and two limos filled with The White House staff. We also had a police escort, so the ride took only 45 minutes rather than an hour and a half.”

“I love that story,” I said.

“Your mom stayed in the hospital for a couple of days, and your dad didn’t leave her side. They decided to name you after me, and it was the proudest moment I’d had since my own children were born.”

“Your parents got engaged the day after you all were safely back home in D.C. I’m not sure how Josh asked Donna to marry him, but I know that Jed and Toby went with Josh to pick out the ring,” Abigail finished.

“I’ve heard all about their wedding,” I said.

“It was small yet beautiful. The love that your parents shared – I can still see it every time we’re together. It’s an amazing thing.”

“That’s what everyone says…I’m going to put this report together and mail a copy to you, if you want.”

“I’d love that. Hopefully we’ll see each other soon.”

“My dad was talking about visiting Manchester this summer,” I said.

“Manchester is gorgeous in the summer.”

“Thanks for your time, Abigail.”

“Anytime, namesake. Anytime.”

With that, we hung up, and I began feverishly writing my report.

***  
Two days later, I finished typing the report and handed a copy to each of my parents to read. My mom was sprawled out on the sofa with her head in my dad’s lap. As they read, they giggled, pointed to certain lines, made small comments, and so on. I could tell they enjoyed reliving that time of their lives.

“Abbey, this is perfect. What a wonderful surprise!” my mom said.

“I can’t believe some of this stuff!” my dad replied.

“Is it wrong? Dad, you’d tell me if I got something wrong?”

“No, it’s all correct, except for the one thing,” he said, brushing my mom’s hair with his hand.

“Josh,” my mom warned.

“What is it? What ‘one thing’?” I asked, worried.

“Everything is unbelievably accurate - except our first kiss,” he said.

“Huh?”

“When CJ and Will saw your mom and I kissing in my office after the inauguration, that wasn’t our first kiss.”

“Well, when was it then?” I questioned.

My parents looked at each other and smiled.

“About five years earlier.”

THE END

 

Background

 

You don’t have to read this to understand the story, but in case you’d like to know what was going on in my mind, here it is.   
\- Josh and Donna got married shortly after the Bartlet administration. They moved to Connecticut about two years later, once Donna finished getting her M.A. from Georgetown.  
\- Andi and Toby never got re-married, but they lived together in D.C. They raised the twins in D.C. until the end of the Bartlet administration, which means the twins were three years old when they moved to Connecticut. Again, in my world, Toby moved to Connecticut just before Josh and Donna. Andi did not run for Congress again, and she now works for a law firm called Goldberg/Finch/Meyer.  
\- Josh and Donna live next door to Toby and the twins. In this story, the twins are 17.   
\- CJ married Danny Concannon a year after the Bartlet administration . They moved to Santa Rosa, California. CJ has been working for a prominent women’s right organization. She and Danny are getting divorced.  
\- Will also lives in Connecticut, but it’s not in the same city as Toby, Josh, and Donna.  
\- President Bartlet and Abigail Bartlet travel extensively and are still happily married.


End file.
